Massive cost of obesity to the NHS is revealed
Heaviest patients require spending of £1,400 a year, twice the total for those of healthy weight
OBESE patients cost the NHS twice as much as those of healthy weight, as research shows that the heaviest require £1,375 of spending a year.
A study, the first of its kind, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Dublin, lays bare the costs of the condition to the taxpayer, as those who are not overweight cost the health service an annual average of £638.
The findings suggest that the NHS could save close to £14billion a year if everyone was a healthy weight.
Experts warned that the full costs of Britain’s weight problem were greater still, having a crippling effect on the economy, with long-term sickness keeping millions out of work.
It comes amid pressure on the Government to tax junk foods and take action to restrict advertising of such fare, with the Institute for Government warning that “squeamishness” about the measures could mean voters face higher taxes.
Two in three adults in the UK are overweight or obese.
In the latest study, led by a scientist from Imperial College London, researchers tracked 2.8 million NHS patients for at least a decade to see how much treatment they received from the health service – and what it had cost the taxpayer.
NHS spending per patient dramatically increased with weight, as patients “collect obesity-related conditions over time” such as Type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart diseases.
The study found that patients who were a healthy weight – meaning a body mass index (BMI) between 18 and 25 – cost the NHS an average of £638 each per year. This was less than half the £1,375 a year spent on the most obese patients, with a BMI over 40, while obese patients with a BMI of 30 to 35 cost the NHS £979 on average per year.
Across the study, one third of participants had a healthy weight, in line with national statistics. Overweight patients – with a BMI between 25 and 30 – cost on average £756 per year, almost a fifth more than slimmer counterparts.
Most of the extra spending was not on obesity itself, but on treating illnesses linked to the condition such as heart disease, arthritis, cancer and Type 2 diabetes. Researchers said hospital admissions for such patients were “by far the biggest cost to the NHS” identified by the study, which also tracked spending on prescription drugs and GP and outpatients’ appointments.
Latest NHS data show 26 per cent of adults in England are obese and a further 38 per cent are overweight but not obese, with similar figures in Scotland and Wales.
The research was led by Dr Jonathan Pearson-stuttard, a public health scientist based at Imperial College London, and head of health analytics at the LCP consultancy.
He said: “This is a first of its kind study, showing the costs of obesity across the whole health system. As weight increases through the BMI categories – from healthy to overweight to obese – costs increase and use of healthcare resources increase.
“These costs are not just from living with obesity, but all the different conditions it results in – such as heart disease, stroke and back pain. People collect more and more obesity-related conditions over time.
“By far the biggest cost to the NHS is hospital admissions.
“We know obesity can cause a range of hospitalisations including heart attacks, stroke, heart failure. It also increases the risk of cancers.
“The ill-health and costs associated with obesity compound over time. Not only is that impacting individual health, but also costs to the NHS and the economic workforce.”
The study follows warnings from the Office for National Statistics that longterm sickness is at a record 2.5 million, with one in 14 workers on such leave.
Back and musculoskeletal problems linked to home working, excess weight and insufficient exercise since the pandemic are among factors driving the trend.
Dr Pearson-stuttard said tackling obesity was essential to boosting the UK’S economic prosperity.
“Two of the biggest challenges for the UK economy are reducing demand on the health system, and increasing economic productivity.
“Tackling obesity could really move the needle on both of these. People with obesity have quite predictable complications, but if you can control their weight and the risk of conditions, you will dramatically reduce demand for
healthcare services. Obesity is a big reason behind the rise in long-term sickness and inactivity in the workforce.”
A ban on “buy-one-get-one-free” offers for unhealthy food and drinks is due to come into force this autumn. Restrictions on TV and online adverts for junk foods, are scheduled for 2025, after a series of delays, to the fury of health campaigners.
Katharine Jenner, the director of the Obesity Health Alliance, a coalition of 50 charities and organisations said: “The Government is forcing the NHS to pay for its years of failure to prevent obesity-related ill health.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Obesity is a serious health risk and the second biggest cause of cancer after smoking. That is why we are exploring new ways to incentivise people to live longer, healthier lives. This includes trialling a new app in Wolverhampton which rewards people for exercising more or eating better and backing trials of new obesity treatments. We’re also taking steps to help people make healthier choices by introducing restrictions on where less healthy food is placed in supermarkets and calorie labelling on menus.”
Meanwhile, scientists called for all obese teenagers to be offered weightloss jabs, after a separate US study found they could halve obesity rates.
Researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School said that the jabs should be made available on the NHS for all obese teenagers – saying it was “the earlier the better” when it came to starting such treatment.